Youngjae

Youngjae is the main vocalist of TWS (투어스), the Pledis Entertainment boy group celebrated for its bright, relatable “boyhood pop” sound. Born Choi Young-jae on May 31, 2005, in Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do, Youngjae discovered his love for performing early, joining a dance academy at age nine and later starting his own dance club in middle school.

Compared with several of his groupmates, Youngjae had one of the shortest trainee periods before debut, training for about three years and six months after being scouted through an Instagram direct message. That relatively quick path didn’t slow him down: his clear, expressive vocals quickly became a signature part of TWS’s sound on tracks like Plot Twist and Countdown!.

Background and Path to Idol Life

Youngjae attended Gimhae Oedong Elementary School, Bongmyeong Middle School, and Jamsin High School, and his family relocated to Seoul while he was training. He has said he’s dreamed of becoming an idol since he was nine years old, a goal shaped by his childhood love of the group Infinite. He debuted with TWS on January 22, 2024, as part of the group’s first mini album, Sparkling Blue.

Personality and Role Within TWS

Within the group, Youngjae is known for taking care of the people around him — the members have described him as someone who is bad at lying and who goes quiet rather than confrontational when upset. He’s famously meticulous when cleaning, even sorting towels by colour, and he’s made a habit of writing personal birthday letters to his groupmates, once even writing one in Chinese for Hanjin. His dorm roommate is Shinyu. In July 2025, Youngjae was diagnosed with a microfracture at the tip of his toe and was advised to rest from strenuous activity, a reminder of the physical demands behind TWS’s energetic choreography.

As TWS’s discography has expanded through SUMMER BEAT!, TRY WITH US, play hard, and NO TRAGEDY, Youngjae’s warm, dependable vocals have remained one of the clearest through-lines of the group’s evolving sound.